Benicia Panther Softball Season Ends in a Nail Biter

The Benicia High School girls softball team lost to the Whitney Wildcats Friday, May 20, 2011 in a second round game in the Sac-Joaquin Playoffs by a score of 2-1.

The game was scoreless through the first four innings.  In the fifth with two out and runners on the corners, Maddie Murphy hit a line drive single to put the Panthers up 1-0.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, Km McAdams had a defensive gem when she threw out a runner who tagged up at third and tried to take home on a long fly ball to right.  After making the clean catch in the outfield, McAdams threw a perfect ball to catcher Melissa Kanne who put the tag on the runner.

The sixth inning produced no runs and another defensive gem, this time from Panther center fielder Alex Wardlow who made the great defensive play to end the inning.  Whitney catcher Darian Harris had hit a ball to the gap in right center that was good for a double but Harris tried to stretch it to a triple.  Wardlow's throw to third was right on the money and Harris was tagged out.

The loss was especially hard because of a couple of very close pitches in the bottom of the seventh that were called balls.  Had the calls gone the other way the game sould have ended differently.

Panther pitcher Kira Knight pitched the complete game.